Ecological Economics 159 (2019) 235–243

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Ecological Economics
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolecon

Analysis

Consumers' Sustainable Purchase Behaviour: Modeling the Impact of T

Psychological Factors
⁎
Yatish Joshia, , Zillur Rahmanb
a
School of Business, Flame University, Pune, Maharashtra, India
b
Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: The aim of this study is to investigate the psychological factors that predict the sustainable purchase behaviour
Sustainable purchase behaviour of educated young consumers. The study has been performed on 425 young consumers. To predict the power of
Spirituality considered variables, structural equation modeling was employed. Results indicate that the drive for environ-
Drive for environmental responsibility mental responsibility, spirituality and perceived consumer effectiveness are the key psychological determinants
Perceived marketplace influence
of consumers' sustainable purchase decisions. Outcomes of the study will be valuable to policy strategist and
government organizations in designing campaigns to encourage sustainable purchasing practices among young
consumers. Promotion of sustainable purchase behaviour might help in reducing the damaging effects of un-
planned purchases on environment and society.

1. Introduction accountability to the community and the environment (Tanner and

Wölfing Kast, 2003). Sustainable consumption has been explained as
Major environmental and social problems have arisen due to the “the use of goods and services that respond to basic needs and bring a
rapid developmental activities undertaken by humans, especially since better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and
the industrialization era (Wang et al., 2014). On the one hand, such toxic materials as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the
activities (irresponsible industrial practices) have been held responsible life cycle of the service or product so as not to jeopardize the needs of
for global warming, depletion of natural resources and other environ- further generations” (Kilbourne et al., 1997)
mental problems, and on the other, they have led to the creation of Sustainable purchasing involves procuring sustainable products that
economic inequality among the various segments of society (Lee, possess social, economic, and environmentally friendly attributes (De
2014). The ignorance of consumers concerning the influence of in- Pelsmacker et al., 2005). Grunert and Juhl (1995) reported that do-
creasing consumerism on environment, society and culture only makes mestic buying accounted for 40% of all ecological destruction. Through
matters worse (Young et al., 2010). Kibert et al. (2011) argue that the the purchase of sustainable products, environmental degradation can be
depletion of natural resources will have severe consequences on our reduced or prevented by consumers (Biswas and Roy, 2015). Sustain-
manufacturing capacity also in the near future. This jeopardizes the able purchasing is important and many studies have highlighted the
very survival of our future generations. To first compensate for, and need to foster and examine sustainable purchase behaviour (Cerri et al.,
then reverse the damage done to the environment would require sig- 2018; Kumar et al., 2017; Nguyen et al., 2018). Corporations are also
nificant changes in current consumption and production patterns. making efforts to reduce environmental deterioration (Sheth et al.,
Human activity has been the prime reason behind the deterioration 2011). In recent times, production of sustainable goods such as biode-
of the environment (Grunert and Juhl, 1995). This calls for modifica- gradable products, energy efficient appliances, etc. has increased, but
tion of human behaviour (Joshi and Rahman, 2015). Consumerism associated benefits have been outpaced by the increase in consumption
started off with the aim of protecting consumers from unscrupulous (Wang et al., 2014). Available literature indicates that the number of
marketing practices and detrimental products, but with time, its scope eco-friendly consumers is growing swiftly, but the degree of acceptance
broadened as environmental protection became a vital issue (Keegan of sustainable products among them differs (Kanchanapibul et al.,
et al., 1995). According to The Brundtland Report (1987), sustainable 2014; Wang et al., 2014). With the passage of time, more people have
consumption inspires responsible consumption, which enables shown the willingness to take up sustainable consumption habits

⁎
Corresponding author at: School of Business, Flame University, Gate no. 1270, Lavale, Bangalore Highway, Pune 412115, Maharashtra, India.
E-mail addresses: yatish.joshi24@gmail.com, yatish.joshi@flame.edu.in (Y. Joshi).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.01.025
Received 4 February 2018; Received in revised form 17 January 2019; Accepted 23 January 2019
0921-8009/ © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Y. Joshi, Z. Rahman Ecological Economics 159 (2019) 235–243

(Tanner and Wölfing Kast, 2003); however, this willingness has not 2. Literature Review
been reflected in their purchasing behaviour (Young et al., 2010).
Several studies have found a weak association between consumers' In an effort to describe sustainable consumption, previous studies
actual purchase behaviour and positive attitude towards sustainable have focused primarily on the fundamental values, opinions and in-
purchase (Barr, 2003; Magnusson et al., 2001). It may be said that while tentions of consumers when buying eco-friendly goods (Liobikienė
purchasing goods, people ignore the ecological and societal outcomes of et al., 2016; Padel and Foster, 2005). Theory of reasoned action (TRA)
their buys. This inconsistency between consumers' thinking and actions (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980) and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB)
is termed sustainable attitude-behaviour gap (Barr, 2003; Padel and (Ajzen, 1985) are the major theoretic frameworks employed by many
Foster, 2005). Joshi and Rahman (2017) and Lee (2014) suggested that studies to examine the various forms of ecological behaviours in wes-
there might be various other psychological and situational variables tern countries, including purchasing of sustainable products (Liobikienė
interfering in the sustainable attitude behaviour relationships that need et al., 2016; Vermeir and Verbeke, 2008). Several prior studies have
to be examined. Lee (2014) further suggested that the attitude beha- observed that there is a weak association between consumers' purchase
viour relationship needs to be examined in the presence of other factors behaviour and positive attitude towards sustainable purchase practices
also. Many researchers in developed countries have examined the in- (Tseng and Hung, 2013; Vermeir and Verbeke, 2006). Various re-
fluence of numerous individual and social factors on consumer sus- searchers have highlighted certain limitations of TPB and TRA and
tainable consumption practices (Lee, 2014; Liobikienė et al., 2016), proposed various other frameworks to study consumer sustainable be-
though most of the studies have ignored the influence of certain psy- haviour. Johnstone and Lindh (2018) suggested that applications of
chological variables (such as spirituality, perceived marketplace influ- TRA and TPB are restricted as TPB doesn't represent oblivious and
ence) on such behaviour (Lee, 2014). Additionally, studies have not secondary pathways to axiological change. Also, TPB and TRA do not
checked the collective effect of psychological variables on sustainable consider behavioural aspects such as consumer past behaviour and
purchasing. habits (Nittala, 2014; Padel and Foster, 2005).
In Asian countries, studies related to sustainable purchase beha- Phipps et al. (2013) incorporated social cognitive theory (SCT) and
viour are scarce (Lee, 2014; Wang et al., 2014). Most of the earlier recommended a new framework of reciprocal determinism to under-
studies in India have been based on consumers' environmental attitude stand consumer sustainable behaviour. As per Bandura (2001) “SCT
(Joshi and Rahman, 2015). Only a few researchers have investigated sees individuals capable of exerting some degree of control over their
the sustainable purchasing practices of Indian consumers. To the best of own actions and other environmental occurrences”. The framework
the author's information, there is barely any study that has analyzed the stressed that each of the individual and sociocultural factors, either
impact of psychological factors on sustainable purchasing practices of alone or in combination with one another and consumers' past sus-
consumers in India. The prevailing attitude-behaviour discrepancy and tainable behaviour, can affect consumers' future sustainable behaviour.
a proper explanation thereof, scarcity of research considering the im- The application of reciprocal determinism and the viewing of personal
pact of psychological variables (such as spirituality) on consumers' factors (psychological factors) as determinants of future sustainable
sustainable purchasing, and dearth of adequate research on sustainable behaviour would provide an improved understanding of consumer be-
consumption behaviour in India encouraged the authors to recognize haviour which may, in turn, help in encouraging and reinforcing sus-
the key psychological predictors of consumers' sustainable purchase tainable purchase behaviour among consumers. Such an understanding
behaviour. Further, the damage to nature and the growing need to will also shed light on how psychological variables (personal factors)
produce sustainable products by organizations acted as additional shape consumers' sustainable purchasing. Lee (2014) also suggested
motivators for the present study. that future research take into consideration these recommendations.
Young and educated consumers were chosen for the study because Keeping in mind the limitations of TRA and TPB [they do not account
such consumers are crucial to bringing about desired change (for ex- for unconscious and various important direct and indirect pathways to
ample sustainable purchasing) in society. Young and educated pur- axiological change (Johnstone and Lindh, 2018)], the conceptual model
chasers have greater ability to understand the significance of sustain- for the present study incorporates the suggestions (premise) of re-
able purchasing and comprehend social and natural issues (Ottman ciprocal determinism theory into the key constructs of TPB and tries to
et al., 2006; Yadav and Pathak, 2017). Young consumers form a huge determine the impact of key psychological variables (personal factors)
segment and have the potential to produce desired changes in the on consumers' sustainable purchase behaviour.
consumption patterns of society. India has a huge consumer market and Previous studies on sustainable purchasing have examined various
holds significant promise for consumption of sustainable goods. Delhi, personal, psychological and social factors influencing consumers' eco-
being the capital of India, is a possible passage for global sustainable logically and socially conscious purchasing (Liobikienė et al., 2017;
marketers to the country. An understanding of the predictors of sus- Mostafa, 2006; Tseng and Hung, 2013), but none of the studies have
tainable purchasing will enable framing of appropriate marketing explored the spiritual dimension. Leary et al. (2014) introduced per-
strategies directed towards fulfilling the sustainable attitude-behaviour ceived marketplace influence as a new construct which needs further
gap and increasing sustainable product purchase. examination. Also, other key psychological factors influencing con-
In light of the discussion above, the current study seeks to answer sumer sustainable purchase behaviour need to be studied (Lee, 2014).
the following research questions: Answering the call to consider the influence of spirituality, per-
ceived marketplace influence and other psychological factors, and to
(1) What are the important psychological factors that influence con- strengthen existing research, this study examines the various psycho-
sumers' sustainable purchasing behaviour? logical determinants of consumers' sustainable purchase conduct. The
(2) How does spirituality, in addition to other psychological factors, impact of spirituality, drive for environmental responsibility, and per-
impact sustainable purchasing behaviour of consumers? ceived marketplace influence along with other key psychological vari-
ables on consumer sustainable purchase behaviour has been observed.
The article is arranged as follows: The next section examines per- Exploring the collective effect of the considered psychological factors
tinent literature and proposes the research model used in the study. on consumers' sustainable purchasing would offer a greater under-
Section 3 explains the method(s) of data collection and questionnaire standing of the predictors of sustainable purchase behaviour.
development. Section 4 describes data analysis, including hypothesis The proposed research model is shown in Fig. 1.
testing. Results are examined in Section 5 and implications are pre-
sented in Section 6. In the last section, conclusion, limitations and fu-
ture research directions are given.

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Y. Joshi, Z. Rahman Ecological Economics 159 (2019) 235–243

Fig. 1. Proposed research model.

2.1. Perceived Consumer Effectiveness relationships [strong (Tanner and Wölfing Kast, 2003; Zhao et al.,
2014) and weak associations (e.g., Davis, 1995)] between consumer
Perceived consumer effectiveness is used for measuring the ability sustainable attitude and behaviour, further research is required to ex-
of a customer to affect environmental issues (Antil and Bennett, 1979). plore the association between consumer attitude and behaviour to-
Studies have demonstrated that individuals believing that their actions wards sustainable purchasing. The current study seeks to fill this gap
bring advancement in society are more cooperative and think less about and to this end, proposes:
their personal gain (Ellen et al., 1991; Pieters, 1991). For transforming
H2. Consumers' attitude towards sustainable purchasing has a positive
positive attitudes into actual purchases, consumers need to be moti-
influence on their sustainable purchase behaviour.
vated through high perceived consumer effectiveness (Mostafa, 2006;
Roberts, 1996). According to Roberts (1996), to bring about a mod-
ification in consumers' behaviour, they should be convinced that their
efforts could cause fruitful change like reduced ecological damage or 2.3. Perceived Knowledge About Sustainability Issues
equality in society. Previous studies have found high perceived con-
sumer effectiveness to lead to enhancement of green consumerism le- It refers to the perceived knowledge that a consumer has with re-
vels (Gupta and Ogden, 2009; Mostafa, 2006). Wesley et al. (2012) spect to ecological and social issues and includes approaches for ad-
demonstrated that high perceived consumer effectiveness gave rise to dressing those issues (Wang et al., 2014). Perceived knowledge plays a
socially responsible attitudes and behaviours. Hence, we propose: crucial part in the buying decisions of consumers concerning sustain-
able products (Chan, 2001; Smith and Paladino, 2010). While many
H1. Perceived consumer effectiveness has a positive influence on
studies on consumers' ecological knowledge have conveyed that a
consumers' sustainable purchase behaviour.
greater level of environmental knowledge is essential for taking ap-
propriate measures towards ecological protection (Mostafa, 2006;
2.2. Attitude Towards Sustainable Purchasing Smith and Paladino, 2010), a few studies report that consumers'
awareness of societal problems positively affects their socially re-
Lee (2014) defines attitude towards sustainable purchasing as “the sponsible purchasing (De Pelsmacker and Janssens, 2007; Kozar and
consumer's cognitive evaluation of sustainable purchase behaviour, it Hiller Connell, 2013). In some studies, consumers' limited knowledge
includes consumer attitude towards green and fair purchasing”. Atti- and lack of understanding of the consequences of their purchase deci-
tudes influence intentions, and so, behaviour (Ajzen, 1985; Zhao et al., sions were found to make consumers more uncertain as to which pro-
2014). Contrasting results have been found while evaluating the re- ducts to choose (Connell, 2010; Young et al., 2010).
lationship between consumers' ecological attitude and environmental Some of the researches have revealed a non-significant association
behaviour. Meta-analysis undertaken in studies on environmental be- between environmental knowledge and behaviour (Ramayah and
haviour reveals that persons with favourable ecological attitudes are Rahbar, 2013; Vicente-Molina et al., 2013). Studies also suggest that
more likely to get involved in environmentally responsible behaviours ecological information is not essential for exhibiting pro-environment
(Hines et al., 1987) and purchase sustainable products (Bamberg and behaviour (Bang et al., 2000); a gap exists between ecological knowl-
Möser, 2007). Further, many studies have suggested a positive asso- edge and pro-environment behaviour, and more ecological information
ciation between consumer attitude and purchase intention towards fair- may not necessarily result in increased environmentally responsible
trade products (Halepete et al., 2009; Hustvedt and Bernard, 2010). behaviours (Kollmuss and Agyeman, 2002). On the basis of the dis-
However, many studies have noticed a poor association between cussion above, it can be said that empirical literature is yet to establish
consumer attitude and sustainable consumption behaviour (e.g., Davis, that the association between knowledge and behaviour is always po-
1995; Magnusson et al., 2001). As various studies have reported mixed sitive. Thus, we hypothesize:

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Y. Joshi, Z. Rahman Ecological Economics 159 (2019) 235–243

H3. Consumers' perceived knowledge about sustainability issues has a Additionally, a positive relationship has been seen between religiosity
positive influence on their sustainable purchase behaviour. and customer green purchase intention in prior studies (Chairy, 2012).
To date, studies have failed to produce empirical evidence that parti-
cularly establishes the influence of spirituality on consumers' sustain-
2.4. Perceived Marketplace Influence able purchasing. It is crucial to uncover the association between spiri-
tuality and sustainable purchasing.
Literature on sustainable consumption focuses primarily on per- Hence, we propose:
ceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) which has been explained as the
“conviction that the endeavours of an individual can have any kind of H5. Spirituality has a positive influence on consumers' sustainable
effect in the answer for an issue” (Ellen et al., 1991). Though the per- purchase behaviour.
ceived consumer effectiveness has been studied with regard to sus-
tainable consumption (Mostafa, 2006; Zhao et al., 2014), no study has 2.6. Drive for Environmental Responsibility
explored the influence of other market actors on an individual's beha-
viour. Kumar and Ghodeswar (2015) defined drive for environmental re-
In the present study, we consider the notion of perceived market- sponsibility as the “consumers' commitment and endeavour towards
place influence (PMI) which states that “to varying degrees, some protecting the environment and individual-level activities intended to
people believe their decision to engage in sustainable behaviour influ- improve the quality of the environment”. By understanding the effect of
ences the marketplace behaviour of other consumers and organizations. environmental degradation on mankind and other living animals and
In turn, this perceived influence encourages these individuals to behave plants, individuals may realize their responsibility of protecting their
in a sustainable manner” (Leary et al., 2014). PMI influences one's surroundings (Lee, 2008).
behaviour through the perceived effect of one's actions on others. Leary Consumers feel involved in subjects associated with ecological
et al. (2014) revealed that a significant association exists between PMI conservation and trust that they can exclusively contribute towards
and consumer sustainable purchasing. In this study, the same re- ecological assurance by embracing ecologically friendly practices (Lee,
lationship has been tested. Thus, we propose: 2008), thus, they make sincere efforts to protect nature through the
H4. Perceived marketplace influence has a positive influence on implementation of appropriate individual exercises. They inherently
consumers' sustainable purchase behaviour. care about the planet's fortune and so protect the environment (Kumar
and Ghodeswar, 2015). Understanding of ecological issues makes con-
sumers sensitive; their ecological concerns along with their belief in
2.5. Spirituality ecological issues lead them to act in an ecologically friendly way
(Kumar and Ghodeswar, 2015; Pickett-Baker and Ozaki, 2008) and
Pargament (1999) explained spirituality as “a process through purchase sustainable products.
which people seek to discover, hold on to, and when necessary, trans- Hence, we hypothesize:
form whatever they hold sacred in their lives”.
H6. Drive for environmental responsibility has a positive influence on
Spirituality is usually communicated and understood as the pre-
consumers' sustainable purchase behaviour.
vailing philosophies or beliefs which control one's association with
oneself, others, nature, and God (Fisher et al., 2000). Reich (2000)
differentiated between spirituality and religiosity. They defined spiri- 3. Methods
tuality as “a way by which people look for and express the importance
and reason and the manner in which they encounter their connected- 3.1. Sample and Data Collection
ness to the occasion, to self, to other people, to nature, and to the
significant or sacred”; religiosity, on the other hand, has been char- Data for carrying out this study were gathered from 425 (261 males
acterized as the association with a specific principle (doctrine) about an and 164 females) young employees in Delhi. The employees were 15 to
otherworldly power through institutional connection and involvement 30 years of age, and their demographics are presented in Table 1. For
in recommended practices (Reich, 2000). collecting necessary information, we designed a measuring instrument
Spirituality is likewise comprehended as a procedure which signifies based on the scale items of previous studies. For eliminating ambiguity,
experiences in search of one's existence and purpose of living and grasps the wordings of the questions were modified. Before finalizing the
the physical, emotional, as well as intellectual aspects (Mercado, 2006). questionnaire, a pilot survey was performed on 50 respondents. Con-
Spirituality deals with purpose of existence and emotional association venience sampling was used to accomplish pre-testing of the ques-
with God or His creation, and provides answers to questions regarding tionnaire so that any problem with sentences or words could be iden-
life, relationships, etc. which mainly arise from rituals or community tified. Respondents were asked to understand the questions carefully
beliefs (King and Crowther, 2004). Spirituality necessitates co-existence and give their views on the questionnaire so that readability and clarity
in society through explanation of implication, intention, and logic be-
hind moral ideas (Nelson-Becker and Canda, 2008). The environmental Table 1
domain of spirituality is associated with caring for and appreciating Descriptive statistics.
nature (Fisher et al., 2000). Lately, scholars have been associating no-
Details of respondents (N = 425) Frequency (s) Percentage (%)
tions such as transcendental perspectives, mindfulness, feeling of sup-
porting others and worship of nature in spirituality with sustainable Gender
consumption (Ehrenfeld, 2008; Sheth et al., 2011). Male 261 61.41
Female 164 38.59
All things considered, spirituality states individual relatedness with
Age
earth, environment and universe, which is more amid spiritually or- 15–20 108 25.41
iented persons. It is because of this relatedness that they exhibit a 20–25 194 45.65
feeling of thinking about self, gathering and environment which begets 25 to 30 123 28.94
sustainable/ecological intents. Thus, spiritual orientation would prob- Educational qualifications
Under Graduate 224 52.71
ably prompt sustainable purchasing. Spirituality acts as a motivation
Post Graduate 127 29.88
and defines an individual's behaviour. It may be considered an im- Others 74 17.41
perative element that influences an individual's purchase behaviour.

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Y. Joshi, Z. Rahman Ecological Economics 159 (2019) 235–243

of the questionnaire could further be improved. (2) educational qualifications (F[12, 1334] = 1.54, Λ = 0.96, non-sig-
After the pre-testing process, a final questionnaire was prepared. nificant); and (3) age (F[12, 1556] = 1.26, Λ = 0.95, non-significant.)
Convenience sampling was utilized to gather data through a group on the considered factors.
administration approach; 700 questionnaires were circulated among On the basis of results obtained from the application of MANOVA, it
young employees working in several organizations in Delhi. can be ratified that there is no probability of any possible interaction
Respondents were recruited by visiting various companies and through among gender, educational qualifications and age as covariates in the
a face to face administration approach. Responses were collected when study. For reducing the data to vital factors, factor analysis with a
the respondents were free from their duties. Of the 700 questionnaires varimax rotation was executed. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test was carried out
distributed, 425 filled questionnaires were returned by the respondents. for checking sample adequacy and the value obtained is 0.87 which
In the present research, the researcher included 27 items for seven indicates adequacy. For significant factor loading, the accepted cri-
distinct constructs. Kline (2011) and Hair et al. (2006) recommended terion is 0.45 (Hair et al., 2006) which has been considered in the
that the number of respondents be ten times more than the number of study. Among the considered variables, there were 27 items that un-
total items included to measure the various constructs. As per this cri- derwent factor analysis. The results obtained stated that all the vari-
terion, the minimum required sample size for 27 items should be 270 ables had 64.64% of the total variance. Knowledge of sustainability
(10 ∗ 27). Hair et al. (2014) also suggested a minimum sample size of issues showed 20.24%, attitude towards sustainable purchasing showed
300 for a model with seven or less constructs. Our sample of 425 sa- 20.45%, sustainable purchase behaviour showed 6.52%, spirituality
tisfies these criteria; it is thus considered adequate and representative of showed 5.14%, perceived consumer effectiveness showed 4.10%, per-
the population. ceived marketplace influence showed 3.31%, and drive for environ-
mental responsibility displayed 4.88% variance. Factor analysis being
3.2. Measurements carried out, all the items demonstrated factor loadings between 0.67
and 0.86 (Table 2). Table 3 provides the details about correlations,
A 7 point Likert scale [where 7 specifies a positive opinion (Strongly means and standard deviations.
Agree/Always) and 1 denotes a negative opinion (Strongly Disagree/ Further, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was executed and the
Never)] was used to measure scale items used in the present research. outcomes signified good model fit (χ2 = 732.52, degrees of freedom
General measures for all items were considered at the time of polling [df] = 348, p < .000, GFI = 0.904, AGFI = 0.897, NFI = 0.921,
instead of context–specific items as situational variables have no in- RMSEA = 0.023). After evaluating model fitness, structural equation
fluence on generalized items. Moreover, the generalized items better modeling (SEM) was performed, and the results obtained showed good
indicate ecological conduct (Kaiser et al., 1999). Scales for most of the model fit (χ2 = 741.52, degrees of freedom [df] = 347, p < .000,
items were developed in the same manner. From earlier studies, it has GFI = 0.921, AGFI = 0.912, NFI = 0.926, RMSEA = 0.024).
been found that mixed wording scales reduce internal consistency of the Path results of SEM are presented in Table 4. According to the re-
scale as well as disrupt its dimensionality, so we avoided these scales sults, the predictability of sustainable purchase behaviour amid re-
(Benson and Hocevar, 1985). Respondents may get confused if mixed spondents is significant. Thus, hypotheses 1 to 6 are supported. As per
wording scales are used (Schmitz and Baer, 2001). Scales were the results of path analysis, drive for environmental responsibility
amended to make them appropriate for the study. emerged as the most crucial determinant of sustainable purchase be-
For measuring perceived knowledge of consumers about sustain- haviour (ß = 0.35, p < .0001), followed by spirituality (ß = 0.33,
ability issues, five items from the scale provided by Ellen et al. (1997) p < .0001), perceived consumer effectiveness (ß = 0.31, p < .0001),
were adopted. In various studies, this scale has been used (Mostafa, attitude regarding sustainable purchasing (ß = 0.28, p < .0001), per-
2007). The scale's reliability is α = 0.83. For measuring buyer attitude ceived marketplace influence (ß = 0.21, p < .0001), and knowledge of
towards sustainable purchasing, four items from Valle et al. (2005) sustainability issues (ß = 0.19, p < .0001).
measure were used, and the reliability of the scale is α = 0.86. In order
to measure perceived effectiveness of consumers with regard to sus- 5. Discussion
tainable purchase behaviour, two items from the scale (with reliability
α = 0.83) prepared by Roberts (1996) were used. For measuring The current study examines the impact of key psychological vari-
spirituality, four items from the scale (with reliability α = 0.83) pre- ables on young consumers' sustainable purchase behaviour. Drive for
pared by Stillman et al. (2012) were used. To measure perceived environmental responsibility has the highest impact on consumer sus-
marketplace influence, three items from the scale (with reliability tainable purchase behaviour, supporting hypothesis 6. Kumar and
α = 0.84) developed by Leary et al. (2014) were used. Ghodeswar (2015) have had similar observations where drive for en-
For measuring environmental responsibility, five items from the vironmental responsibility encouraged green purchase behaviour and
scale (with reliability α = 0.81) developed by Kumar and Ghodeswar consumers' green purchase decisions were formed on the basis of eco-
(2015) were used. For measuring sustainable purchasing behaviour of logical, individual, and social outcomes. Consumers' choice of purchase
consumers, four items from the scale (with reliability α = 0.86) de- is associated with their satisfaction of utilitarian, emotional and ex-
veloped by Lee (2010) were used. All the scales used in this study are periential necessities; fulfilment of such utilitarian, emotional and ex-
reliable as Cronbach alpha (α) score is more than 0.65 and satisfies the periential necessities are key to green product purchases also.
criteria laid by Burns and Bush (2006). Perceived consumer effectiveness emerged as a vital determinant of
The measurement items are listed in Appendix 1. consumers' sustainable purchase behaviour, thereby supporting hy-
pothesis 1. Most respondents considered in the present study had a
4. Analysis belief that an individual's efforts could help protect the environment.
This result is complemented by various studies which also observed
In order to check differences among groups based on gender, age, perceived consumer effectiveness as a crucial predictor of sustainable
and educational level with respect to perceived knowledge about sus- consumption practices (Mostafa, 2006; Wesley et al., 2012). Further,
tainability issues, drive for environmental responsibility, perceived strong positive influence of perceived consumer effectiveness on con-
consumer effectiveness, spirituality, perceived marketplace influence sumers' sustainable purchase behaviour complements the social di-
and consumer attitude towards sustainable purchasing, multivariate lemma theory which advocates that perceived efficacy, or the degree to
analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed. We utilized Wilks' which one trusts that one can have any kind of effect towards accom-
lambda (Λ) and the application of MANOVA showed no significant plishing an objective, impacts cooperation or green practices (Van
influence of (1) gender (F[3, 1029] = 1.63, Λ = 0.97, non-significant); Lange et al., 1992).

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Y. Joshi, Z. Rahman Ecological Economics 159 (2019) 235–243

Table 2 observed to have significant but comparatively lower influence on

Factor loadings. sustainable purchasing as compared to the other top four predictors.
Construct/items Loadings Previous studies have also noticed a significant association between
ecological knowledge and sustainable purchasing (Vicente-Molina
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 et al., 2013). This may be due to the fact that insufficient knowledge
about environmental and social issues hinders sustainable purchase
Perceived knowledge about sustainability issues (PKSI)
1) PKSI1 0.73 behaviour of buyers. These observations highlight the need for policy-
2) PKSI2 0.68 makers to advance environmental education, and more data on sus-
3) PKSI3 0.67 tainable goods.
4) PKSI4. 0.74 Perceived marketplace influence was observed to positively impact
5) PKSI5 0.77
consumers' sustainable purchasing, supporting hypothesis 4 and es-
Eigenvalues 6.54
Variance (in %) 20.24 tablishing perceived marketplace influence as a vital determinant of
Cronbach's alpha 0.83 consumer sustainable purchasing. This finding is supported by Leary
Attitude towards sustainable purchasing (ATS) et al. (2014) as they found perceived marketplace influence as a crucial
1) ATS1 0.67 predictor of the various forms of sustainable consumption practices. In
2) ATS2 0.76 the present study, many participants with higher perceived marketplace
3) ATS3 0.77 influence showed a greater inclination towards sustainable purchase
4) ATS4 0.67
Eigenvalues 6.58
behaviour proving that the role of various other market players and
Variance (in %) 20.45 actors became critical to consumers' sustainable purchase behaviour.
Cronbach's alpha 0.86 A positive association was found between spirituality and sustain-
Sustainable purchase behaviour (SPB) able purchasing, supporting hypothesis 5. Spirituality emerged as a
1) SPB1 0.79 crucial predictor, and this finding has been supported by Chairy (2012).
2) SPB2 0.73 This result demonstrates that consumers enact their profoundly held
3) SPB3 0.69
ideological convictions through their consumption decisions and that
4) SPB4 0.77
Eigenvalues 2.18
spirituality plays an important role impacting their consumption
Variance (in %) 6.52 choices. Individuals' green purchases may be an indicator of their
Cronbach's alpha 0.86 spiritual inclination. Consumers with high spiritual feelings and ex-
Spirituality (SP) periences tend to behave in a way that matches their spiritual values.
1) SP1 0.77 The findings recommend that the exploration of the spiritual needs of
2) SP2 0.86 consumers is essential for formulating a compelling marketing plan and
3) SP3 0.77
an imperative basis of segmentation. Hence, it suggests that companies
4) SP4 0.67
Eigenvalues 1.94 should appeal to the spiritual aspect of consumers that motivates them
Variance (in %) 5.14 to protect and preserve the environment through sustainable pur-
Cronbach's alpha 0.83 chasing.
Perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE)
1) PCE1 0.69
2) PCE2 0.74 6. Implications
Eigenvalues 1.46
Variance (in %) 4.10
Cronbach's alpha 0.83 6.1. Theoretical Implications
Drive for environmental responsibility (DER)
1) DER1 0.85 The unique contribution of the present research to existing body of
2) DER2 0.76 sustainable consumption literature which also highlights its originality
3) DER3 0.74 value is the fact that the study establishes consumers' drive for en-
4) DER4 0.68 vironmental responsibility, spirituality and perceived marketplace in-
5) DER5 0.71
Eigenvalues 1.74
fluence as key determinants of their sustainable purchase behaviour;
Variance (in %) 4.88 prior studies have rarely assessed the influence of these variables on
Cronbach's alpha 0.81 consumers' sustainable purchasing.
Perceived marketplace influence (PMI) This study is one of the first to identify key psychological determi-
1) PMI1 0.86 nants of sustainable purchasing in the Indian context. The importance
2) PMI2 0.68 of psychological variables has been emphasized through the results
3) PMI4 0.75 obtained. Results showed that drive for environmental responsibility
Eigenvalues 1.38
Variance (in %) 3.31
and the dimension of spirituality encouraged consumers to make sus-
Cronbach's alpha 0.84 tainable purchases by enhancing ecologically friendly and socially re-
sponsible behaviour in them. The present study fulfills existing gap in
literature pertaining to consumer segmentation by suggesting a new
Attitude towards sustainable purchasing was observed to have a consumer group on the basis of spirituality. This segment has the po-
positive effect on sustainable purchasing, supporting hypothesis 2. This tential to drive sustainable purchasing because of inherent spiritual
outcome of the study is consistent with previous findings which state beliefs and principles of protecting and preserving the environment.
that environmental attitude and green consumption are positively re- Perceived marketplace influence significantly impacted consumers'
lated (Chan, 2001; Kozar and Hiller Connell, 2013). The results can be sustainable purchase behaviour. This finding emphasizes new dimen-
explained thus - attitude towards sustainable consumption is formed by sions of behavioural change and indicates that one's confidence in
a person's cognitive and rational assessment of the importance of sus- sustainable behaviour affects one's behaviour due to the influences one
tainable consumption practices (Joshi and Rahman, 2016). While dis- perceives it has on others. The finding also supports the value-belief-
playing sustainable behaviour, consumers are probably going to make behaviour system. Results display a favourable association between
rational and cognitive judgments (Massicotte et al., 2011). sustainable attitude and behaviour, and support the attitude-behaviour
Consumers' perceived knowledge towards sustainability issues was system.

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Table 3
Correlations, means, standard deviation.
N = 425 Mean S. D Correlation

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 Perceived knowledge about sustainability issues 3.57 1.87

2 Attitude towards sustainable purchasing 3.16 1.86 0.317⁎
3 Sustainable Purchase Behaviour 3.14 1.76 0.194⁎ 0.344⁎
4 Spirituality 3.98 1.49 0.095 0.204⁎ 0.314⁎
5 Perceived consumer effectiveness 3.57 1.77 0.264⁎ 0.245⁎ 0.387⁎ 0.245⁎
6 Drive for environmental responsibility 3.59 1.61 0.179⁎ 0.219⁎ 0.347⁎ 0.328⁎ 0.289⁎
7 Perceived marketplace influence 3.67 1.58 0.314⁎ 256⁎ 0.237⁎ 0.218⁎ 0.197⁎ 0.248⁎

⁎
p < .001.

Table 4 information, provide education, and increase awareness about en-

Path of structural model. vironmental issues. These communications must focus on the necessity
Standardized path coefficients (t-value)
of sustainable development efforts to effectively fight against major
social and environmental issues. Feedback from event organizers can
DER → SPB 0.35 (13.48⁎⁎⁎) strengthen perceived communication effectiveness by substantiating
SP → SPB 0.33 (11.67⁎⁎⁎) individuals' efforts in solving issues related to society and nature. Young
PCE → SPB 0.31 (10.97⁎⁎⁎)
consumers must also be encouraged to think objectively by utilizing a
ATS → SPB 0.28 (9.85⁎⁎⁎)
PMI → SPB 0.21 (7.99⁎⁎⁎) rational approach towards addressing social and environmental issues.
PKSI → SPB 0.19 (6.06⁎⁎⁎)

Note: 7. Conclusions
⁎⁎⁎
p-Value < .001.
India is counted among the largest consumer markets in the world
6.2. Practical Implications and has high prospects for sustainable goods, but sustainable marketers
face trouble in attracting Indian shoppers owing to limited data related
The present study recognizes the major predictors of sustainable to sustainable purchasing practices. The current study adds to extant
purchasing. It will help marketers in framing strategies for encouraging research by observing the impact of key psychological variables on
consumers to purchase sustainable products. The study depicts a fa- consumers' sustainable purchasing behaviour. Results of the study re-
vourable association between drive for environmental responsibility veal that the key predictors of consumers' sustainable purchase beha-
and consumer sustainable purchase decisions. Marketing experts should viour are drive for environmental responsibility followed by spirituality
convey that by buying and using environmentally sustainable products, and perceived consumer effectiveness. Results are supported by past
buyers can fulfil their obligations and responsibilities towards en- studies (Kumar and Ghodeswar, 2015; Leary et al., 2014; Lee, 2014).
vironmental protection. Consumer-oriented strategies emphasizing For advertisers and sustainable producers, the results obtained are very
consumers' environmental responsibilities and suggesting sustainable useful as these would help in designing strategies to promote sustain-
purchasing to fulfil them are likely to drive sales of sustainable pro- able purchasing.
ducts. The authors are of the view that sustainable purchase behaviour
Spirituality was found to positively impact consumers' sustainable should be a mindset of society, and not merely a ‘marketable’ or ‘ad-
purchase behaviour through inculcating spiritual values. Hence, max- vertisable’ concept. In other words, citizens must voluntarily engage in
imization of spiritual beliefs and experiences that relate to sustain- activities that protect the environment and have an inherent sense of
ability purchasing is proposed in order to encourage sustainable pur- responsibility towards the environment while producing and con-
chase practices among consumers. Marketing campaigns as well as suming. Lasting changes would occur only if sustainable consumption
other promotional activities may focus on the interconnections between became a spontaneous thought process, and sustainable consumption
sustainable purchasing and consumers' spiritual dimensions. Also, behaviour, voluntary. Emphasis on key psychological factors de-
during framing of communication strategy, the spiritual dimension of termined by the present study can shape the mindset of the consumers
sustainable product usage must be emphasized. Spiritual segmentation and direct them towards sustainable purchasing.
for sustainable products can offer a promising market segment. There are certain limitations to this study. In the current research,
Spirituality can be a viable basis of socio-demographic segmentation self-reported data are taken into consideration which may have a social
and offer a promising market segment for sustainable products. desirability bias. To address this issue, scale items were adopted from
Consumer sustainable purchase behaviour is also positively affected various scholarly sources. Participants were informed that there was no
by perceived marketplace influence. Organizations and policymakers correct or incorrect response to questions. Future researchers may
must realize that individuals' behaviour effectively impacts firms and collect data through other methods (e.g. direct observation). Also, the
other consumers, hence, they should encourage consumers to show present study limits itself to examining general sustainable purchase
greater degrees of sustainable behaviour and purchase sustainable behaviour; it does not consider the impact of consumers' income levels
products to positively affect the behaviour of other consumers. and price of commodities on sustainable purchase behaviour since
Consumers' sustainable purchase behaviour is also influenced by their prices vary across product categories. Furthermore, we cannot gen-
attitude towards sustainable purchasing and perceived consumer ef- eralize the findings of this study because young buyers differ from the
fectiveness. This implies that their awareness of the benefits of sus- elderly in thinking, habit and attitude. It is also possible that perceived
tainable purchasing and the ways in which they consume can affect consumer effectiveness has more influence in a collectivist Indian so-
nature and society. Marketers, through effective communication, could ciety. Future studies may consider other variables such as man-nature
influence consumer attitude towards sustainable purchasing. For com- orientation, self-identity, etc. to determine their influence on con-
municating effectively, marketers may use the media (print, TV, radio, sumers' sustainable purchasing practices.
social media), internet, and other public forums and disseminate

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Appendix 1. Measurement Items

Constructs and scale items Sources

Perceived knowledge about sustainability issues Ellen et al. (1997)

PK1: I know I purchase ecologically safe products.
PK2: I have more knowledge about recycling then an average person.
PK3: I know where I can find products that create less wastage.
PK4: I have the knowledge about the sustainability symbols used on product packages.
PK5: I am very knowledgeable about environmental and social issues.
Attitude towards sustainable purchasing Valle et al. (2005)
AT1: I believe that sustainable purchasing by me will help in reducing pollution and also help in improving the environment.
AT2: I believe that sustainable purchasing by me will help in reducing wasteful use of natural resources.
AT3: I believe that sustainable purchasing by me will help in conserving natural resources.
AT4: I feel good about myself when I involved in sustainable purchasing.
Sustainable purchase behaviour Lee (2010)
SPB1: When shopping, I deliberately check products for environmentally harmful Ingredients.
SPB2: When shopping, I deliberately choose products with environmentally friendly packaging.
SPB3: I'll prefer to buy sustainable products even if they are expansive than others.
SPB4: While purchasing, I see environmental and fair trade label before buying the products.
Spirituality Stillman et al. (2012)
SP1: I feel God's presence
SP2: I experience a connection to all life
SP3: I feel a selfless for others
SP4: I feel deep inner peace and harmony
Perceived consumer effectiveness Roberts (1996)
PCE1: When I buy products, I try to consider how my use of them will affect the environment and other consumers?
PCE2: Each consumer behaviour can have a positive effect on society by purchasing products sold by socially responsible companies?
Drive for environmental responsibility Kumar and Ghodeswar
DER1: Supporting environmental protection makes me feel as an environmentally responsible person. (2015)
DER2: I should be responsible for protecting our environment.
DER3: Environmental protection starts with me
DER4: I would say I am emotionally involved in environmental protection issues.
DER5: Supporting environmental protection makes me special
Perceived marketplace influence Leary et al. (2014)
PMI1: I believe my individual efforts to be environmentally friendly will persuade others in my community to purchase environmentally friendly
products.
PMI2: The choices I make can influence what companies make and sell in the marketplace
PMI3: If I buy environmentally friendly products, companies will introduce more of them.

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